Malvinas, tourism season with special protection for penguin colonies
The Executive Director of the Tourist Office, Stephanie Middleton
The Executive Director of the Falkland Islands Tourism Council, Steph Middleton, detailed this week in a pre-season report that it has been especially “demanding” to comply with all courses for tourist guides and the different assessments of the functioning of the tourism sector, one of the pillars of the Islands’ economy.
In the report presented at a meeting of operators held at the Pier Passenger Reception Center, Ms. Middleton began by thanking, on behalf of the Department of Tourism, all those who collaborated in the different evaluation tasks.
It is also expected that for the 2025/26 season, in order to operate from the Reception Center on the Pier, tour and tour providers must complete assessment forms to be accredited as Tourist Guides.
The exception will be for those who already worked at the Reception Center, JVC, before the 2027/18 season, and the intention is that everyone operating at the JCV will be registered tour guides.
It has also been reported that the guidelines for tour providers visiting Gypsy Cove (penguin colonies) this year have been changed somewhat: this season the ratio of one guide for every 16 passengers/tourists will not be sufficient.
Instead, any operator bringing more than a hundred passengers to Gypsy Cove in a single day must have a permanent representative located at that location, primarily for vehicle parking logistics, and any other issues that may arise.
Once again, all operators are reminded that the ratio of one guide for every 16 tourists continues to prevail, stressing that these guides must remain with the group of tourists. It is not acceptable to have rangers or guides waiting at York eBay; In other words, tourists must be accompanied by the guide to and from the site. Rope limits have been reinstated at sites and all our operators are asked to respect the demarcation lines.
Avian Flu
Measures against bird flu remain as established during the tourist season, and all visitors must carefully follow existing biosecurity measures, and avoid touching or handling dead or sick birds in any way.
To protect these locations, disinfectant mats have been introduced in Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove and will be replenished daily. They replace the bottles with fumigators used in previous years. These mats must be used by all visitors when entering and leaving these places. Any suspicion of a sick bird should be reported immediately to birdflu@naturalresources.gov.fk
On the other hand, it has been reported that the Falklands Air Service, FIGAS, currently expects to have three to five aircraft available for the season. However, he also revealed that hiring qualified technical staff continues to be a challenge for the airline. Likewise, FIGAS continues with its current fleet replacement project, with a new aircraft expected to arrive in April 2026.
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